Effect of Puffing in the Extraction of Active Ingredients from the Roots of Paeonia lactiflora and Astragalus membranaceus

In Asia, the roots of Paeonia lactiflora and Astragalus membranaceus have been used as therapeutic agents for thousands of years. Once the medicinal plants are harvested, they are dried and their ingredients are extracted by heat-mediated reflux extraction. However, the condensed structure of organic products (especially roots) limits the extraction of bioactive components. In this study, we assessed the effect of the puffing method (using high temperature and pressure) before the extraction process in relation to the profile and antioxidant capacity of active ingredients. We demonstrated that the additional puffing process before extraction methods improves the yield of polyphenol concentrations and antioxidant activities from the roots of P. lactiflora and A. membranaceus.